Besides, meatloaf sliders are just fun. :)
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Sliders
* 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 96%)
* 1/3 cup real bacon bits
* 4 oz. shredded cheese (I used 2% fat Mexican blend)
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used slices of day-old french bread, toasted, then crumbled to about pea size, then measured. If you use commercial bread crumbs, which are very fine, you might want to use less)
* 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions (divided use- half in the burger mixture and half on top)
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
* Optional: I also added 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the ketchup mixture before dividing it- I like a sweeter meatloaf topping. If you like a more savory topping, just leave this out.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a half-sheet size cookie pan with sides in heavy duty foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the bacon bits, and the next 7 ingredients through the black pepper, mixing well. Stir in a little less than half of the french fried onions, breaking up the larger pieces. Crumble the ground beef into this mixture and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard (and brown sugar, if using). Stir 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture into meat mixture. Reserve remaining ketchup mixture for topping.
Combine the meat mixture thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into small patties, just slightly larger in diameter than the buns you will be using. I made indentations in the center of each burger so that they would bake evenly and not puff up in the middle. I ended up with 9 sliders.
Lightened up and adapted from Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf.
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Sliders may have been taken to some of these fun parties!